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Pay-to-play of Betsy DeVos

Last Tuesday, U.S. Representatives from Ohio Marcy Kaptur, Marcia Fudge and Joyce Beatty spoke on the House floor demanding that President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, pay the millions in fines owed to the State of Ohio for breaking campaign finance law. As Rep. Kaptur testified:

“These obligations total $5.3 million dollars, in unpaid‎ fines and levied late penalties. Her PAC, All Children Matter, owes the state of Ohio for campaign finance violations, the largest fines ever levied in Ohio history.

In addition, according to OpenSecrets.org, Betsy DeVos gave direct contributions to at least 20 current Members of the Senate. These are the same Senators who will now confirm her for the Secretary of Education position.

No one is above law. Betsy DeVos’ attempt to subvert the law and buy influence is diametrically opposed to everything the President-elect advised was wrong with America. He wants to drain the swamp. I call on President-Elect Trump to hold Betsy DeVos accountable.”

DeVos is a huge supporter of privatizing/corporatizing public education through the creation of charter schools and vouchers.

It should be noted that several recipients of the illegal political campaign contributions in Ohio from nearly a decade ago are still in office, including Lt. Governor Mary Taylor, Sec of State John Husted, Treasurer Josh Mandel, and current Ohio House member and former Ohio Senate President Keith Faber.

DeVos’ confirmination hearing is today. Our Senators need to hear that we oppose her confirmation as Secretary of Education.

DeVos has an estimated net worth of $5.1 billion. She, like so many others of extreme riches, use their wealth power to achieve political power. It’s a formula for corruption, cronyism, political perversion, economic misallocation, and public mistrust, cynicism, alienation and disempowerment. It feeds on itself as others feel they must follow suit to keep us in a cycle that leads to democratic decay, if not destruction. It’s the path we are racing down. It’s up to us to stop it. Knowing is the first step. Taking action, strategic action, mass action that addresses root causes – not just (un)electing public officials or (un)enacting laws and regulations — must be the next step. That’s where changing ground rules, constitutional rules, comes in. It’s not easy. It’s not necessarily quick. But it must be our quest.